A data serializer is an electronic circuit that is used to connect a parallel data bus to a more narrow parallel data bus or serial data bus. In general, a parallel data bus may include a relatively large number of data bits to transmit a data word in parallel fashion, with two or more of the data bits being transmitted simultaneously. The narrow parallel data bus or serial data bus may include a relatively few number of data lines, such as one, to transmit the same data word in a more serial fashion, where the data word is transmitted in several smaller pieces, one after another. The narrow parallel data bus or serial data bus may operate at a higher frequency than the parallel data bus so that the same amount of data may pass through the busses in a given period.
In a typical embodiment, a data serializer may receive data from a parallel circuit bus at a low frequency and convert the data into a high-frequency data stream having fewer parallel bits than the parallel circuit bus. To convert the data, the data serializer may receive a data word from parallel circuit bus, divide the data word into several pieces, and transmit those pieces one by one on the narrow data bus, generally, before the next data word is available from the parallel circuit bus.
The subject matter claimed herein is not limited to embodiments that solve any disadvantages or that operate only in environments such as those described above. Rather, this background is only provided to illustrate one exemplary technology area where some embodiments described herein may be practiced.